"He was easy to talk to, made friends easily, and actively fought for the acceptance of all people," according to the Matthew Shepard Foundation site. At the time of his death, Shepard was a student ...

Twenty years ago, gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard died after being brutally beaten on the outskirts of Laramie, Wyoming. His mother, Judy Shepard, has never stopped missing him.

Shepard: When [my husband] Dennis and I started the [Matthew Shepard] Foundation and our work as advocates for this community, we shared our story and Matt’s story with the world to help other ...

Matthew Shepard was 21 years old when he was tied to a Wyoming fence post and beaten to death because he was gay. This year, his namesake Denver-based foundation is 21, too. We spoke with executive ...

founders of the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Matthew Shepard, a gay man, was tragically murdered in Wyoming at the age of 21 in a 1998 hate crime. In October 2009, President Barack Obama signed the ...

This 1998 photo provided by the Matthew Shepard Foundation shows Matthew Shepard. The murder of Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student, was a watershed moment for gay rights and LGBTQ+ ...

The murder was deemed a hate crime. Parents Judy and Dennis Shepard founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation in December 1998 as a result. Fast forward over 20 years later. The Shepards are in ...

who with her husband formed the Matthew Shepard Foundation to promote equality for the gay community. "We passed up a golden opportunity to set things in motion and make a change and set an ...

His ashes will be interred Oct. 26 at the Washington National Cathedral, Jason Marsden, executive director of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, confirms to PEOPLE. “This whole thing is such a ...